Chapter 99: 099 Mo Lihai_1
Seeing the woman disappear, Hua Zhuo’s tense emotions gradually subsided. After all, she was a Spirit Card Master; it was only the woman’s unexpected appearance that had caused such a significant emotional fluctuation. In just a few seconds, cold sweat trickled down Hua Zhuo’s forehead.
"Godmother?" Du Zhaiyue asked, concerned. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Hua Zhuo’s forehead. "Do you need to rest?"
"No need." Hua Zhuo took a ragged breath, calmed herself, and then suddenly said, "Zhaiyue, call Song Ji."
"Uncle Song?"
Although Du Zhaiyue seemed puzzled, she did as instructed.
Once the call connected, the man’s voice on the other end was refined and calm. "Hello?"
"Song Ji!" Hua Zhuo raised her voice slightly. "Why didn’t you kill her back then? Why couldn’t you bring yourself to do it? You useless coward!"
Surprise flashed in Du Zhaiyue’s eyes. She rarely saw Hua Zhuo lose her composure like this, especially not while lashing out at Song Ji. She knew Uncle Song; he was a man both mysterious and refined, who, despite his age, had not lost his charm. Many young women in the upper circles of the three great Empires would have gladly married Song Ji. She couldn’t believe her godmother dared to curse Uncle Song so vehemently.
Song Ji was silent for a few seconds after being scolded. Perhaps realizing who Hua Zhuo was referring to, his voice gradually took on a sinister edge. "I’ve told you, I wouldn’t lie to you about these things. I truly took action back then; she didn’t even leave a corpse."
Hua Zhuo suddenly became calm. Yes, Song Ji wouldn’t lie. Back then, he had hated that woman to the core. He was ruthless and decisive; it was impossible for him to have held back. That woman, that woman... She was a monster in her own right.
A rare flicker of panic appeared in Hua Zhuo’s eyes, but she still said, "I saw her. She appeared in Imperial City."
"..."
Song Ji did not speak again. Perhaps realizing something, he hung up the phone.
Du Zhaiyue was shocked by everything she had heard. However, having already asked twice and receiving no explanation from her godmother, she felt there was no need to ask further. Perhaps she wasn’t meant to know about this matter.
「Downstairs」
Not long after the woman left, the Heaven’s Mandate System suddenly spoke. "I advise you to leave. The Song Family’s intelligence department has fully mobilized and is currently sweeping the entire Imperial City. I can block them on the internet, but I can’t stop their physical searches."
As she left, the woman put on a retro cloche hat. She couldn’t restrain herself from mocking softly, "I only saw her for less than three minutes, and Song Ji already knows. She said back then that she would never have any more dealings with Song Ji. It seems it was all just talk. This woman... she says one thing and does another."
There was a hint of jealousy in her tone.
The Heaven’s Mandate System was more blunt. "That jealous look on your face is truly unsightly."
"You..." The woman, who had remained calm throughout their journey, was still provoked by this remark. "I’m jealous of her? Jealous that her legs were broken? Or that she was destroyed by Song Ji’s own hands?"
The Heaven’s Mandate System gave a dry laugh. "Then guess why, in the end, he wanted to grind your bones to dust? I told you before that some people are not to be trifled with, but you wouldn’t listen."
The woman, in her rush to flee, could not argue back. Nevertheless, the Heaven’s Mandate System provided her with the best escape route.
It was bound too tightly to this woman. If she were caught, it had no doubt Song Ji would devise countless ways to torment her, at which point their plan would be ruined. Thanks to its years of indulgence, this woman had long been spoiled to the point of losing her judgment. It couldn’t help but curse inwardly. If it found a way to break free, it would abandon this woman without hesitation.
Coincidentally, her escape route happened to pass by Wen Jiang’s apartment building.
Inside the apartment, Wen Jiang suddenly opened her eyes.
Zero Egg asked, puzzled, "Hey, weren’t you going to continue making cards?"
Wen Jiang didn’t respond; she approached the window instead. Her apartment was in a good location. Just outside, near the street, a woman in red walked past. The building was so high that a normal person couldn’t see clearly; to them, the woman in red was as small as an ant.
But Wen Jiang saw her distinctly.
The woman emanated a strong signal, one with the same origin as Zero Egg’s.
Zero Egg was shocked. "It’s... it’s the Heaven’s Mandate System!" Damn, it hadn’t expected to encounter it so soon. But that was odd. How did Wen Jiang sense it without any reminder from it?
Perhaps it was Wen Jiang’s direct gaze, but the woman faintly sensed something. Her strong spiritual power as a Spirit Card Master allowed her to perceive Wen Jiang’s scrutiny, and she slowly narrowed her eyes.
The young woman stood by the window, her cold gaze fixed on her. Such a condescending look irritated the woman, who was accustomed to being in a position of power. She had never been looked at this way before. She sensed the young woman’s spiritual aura.
Just an A-Level Spirit Card Master.
The woman frowned, memorized Wen Jiang’s face, and then hurried away.
From the moment the woman passed by Wen Jiang’s building, the Heaven’s Mandate System fell silent.
Only when she was far away did Zero Egg ask, its voice trembling, "Host, did you sense it?"
"Yes."
This woman bears some resemblance to Nian Jian.
Wen Jiang suddenly laughed. "I bet her name contains ’Jian’."
Zero Egg was speechless.
The previously interrupted topic resurfaced. "What did she come to Imperial City for? Why can’t I find any information about her?" Zero Egg asked.
"It’s not important," Wen Jiang said. "She will inevitably cross paths with me eventually."
Just like Nian Jian. And since Nian Jian is still here with me, this woman and I will meet again. With that in mind, there’s no need for me to exhaust myself investigating; the other party will naturally come to me.
Having thought this through, Wen Jiang turned back to continue crafting cards. As her thoughts flowed smoothly, one of Mo Liqing’s brothers, Mo Lihai, was successfully created.
Compared to Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai’s operation was more complex. Mo Lihai wielded two weapons: he held a long spear and had a lute strapped to his back. However, compared to the long spear, Mo Lihai’s primary abilities were concentrated in the lute. His lute, much like Mo Liqing’s own abilities, could play musical strings representing four different attributes (wind, fire, water, and earth). However, unlike Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai’s lute effects could not be repeatedly applied or stacked. This instrument was very suitable for a support role.
Playing the wind string would conjure a gale that affected Card Spirits, forcing them into involuntary movement and interrupting their actions. This skill was effective against Hou Yi because Mo Lihai’s skills were unblockable.
Playing the fire string would cause the surrounding temperature to rise sharply. This was a curse that inflicted a status effect: Card Spirits were scorched by the intense heat, and flames would appear on their bodies. Without a Healing Card, afflicted Card Spirits would continue to take damage until Mo Lihai changed his skill state.
Playing the water string would distort the surrounding air, creating ripples. These ripples emanated from Mo Lihai, spreading outwards, and could not be dispelled or blocked. Any Card Spirit touched by the ripples would immediately be trapped in a water bubble. The only way to break this effect was to attack Mo Lihai directly.
Playing the earth string would cause the surrounding ground to liquefy, making Card Spirits sink. This primarily targeted land-based Card Spirits that could not fly.
The synergy between Mo Liqing and Mo Lihai was based on elemental interactions and counters. For example, Mo Lihai’s gale could increase the speed of Mo Liqing’s giant wave and cause Mo Liqing’s flames to burn wider and more fiercely. However, the gale did not affect earth and water abilities.
This design was primarily for a sense of balance dictated by the world’s will. After all, a card like this was already powerful enough to defy the heavens.